“It’s definitely addressed in the season premiere and from time to time, we’ll feel it, whenever it feels right for the characters,” Rick told THR. “Sometimes you might not even be talking about it but you might think that’s what’s going on, for example with Halstead. Her loss will impact him in a meaningful way.”

As for what’s ahead for his character, he’ll constantly be dealing with losing Lindsay. “In the season premiere, he’s involved in a situation that affects him so the combination of those things sort of throws him off balance,” he revealed. “It’s just seeing a guy trying to deal with some real emotional, personal issues the best way he can, trying to handle it by himself, trying to stay strong in the wake of adversity. We’ll see how that plays out for him.”

When asked about a new love interest for Halstead, Rick played coy, saying there will be “romantic storylines in play” among all of the characters, but nothing will happen quickly for Jay. “I think early in the season, he’s still grappling with what happened with Lindsay and he’s probably not great dating material early in the season,” he said. “Maybe as time goes on later in the season, maybe he’ll become more a viable romantic interest for somebody.”

Halstead’s new partner is Lindsay’s replacement, Hailey Upton (Tracy Spiridakos). So, will Sophia Bush ever return to the show for a possible guest spot? “It’s probably too early [to say]. There’s nothing specific on the table right now so I don’t really have a comment on that right now,” he said.